A cigar man in Denver made up a special brand of cigars, placed two of them in a neat little case, and sent them by parcel post to several hundred farmers, with a note saying they were presented with the cigar maker’s compliments. He also enclosed a coupon, good for a certain premium with each box of cigars ordered. The cigars were good, and many of the samples sent out brought orders for a full box, at the regular price.
PLAN No. 310. A NEW TRUST PLAN
Instead of that disagreeable method of selling goods—house to house canvassing—an agent in an Illinois city made use of the parcel post, with good results.
Selecting the article he wished to sell, he prepared a strong circular fully describing it, and wrapped the article in this circular, ready to send out by parcel post.
From the city directory he obtained a list of householders in various parts of the city, and mailed the article to them, with the statement that it was sent for inspection, and that his agent would call in a few days and give a full explanation.
He sometimes mailed out as many as 1,000 a day of these articles, and later sent out agents to close the sales, on a commission basis; and, as the sales were much more numerous under this plan than by canvassing from house to house, the increased profits fully justified him in assuming the extra expense the new plan involved.
PLAN No. 311. A GOOD COUPON IDEA
A Chicago man who knew the truth of the saying, “a woman loves a bargain,” made a practical application of that principle to his own profit.
From the catalog of a supply house he selected an article that could be bought for a few cents, in considerable quantities, and yet would be a good value when retailed at, say, 26 cents. In a local paper he placed an ad. descriptive of the article, with a coupon at the bottom, saying: “We have only a few of these on hand. If you wish one, send this coupon and 26 cents, and we will send it by parcel post.” He sold large quantities of goods by this method.